Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian (File photo by Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — The promise to bring down the cost of rice to P20 per kilo will be hard to achieve, even if the country becomes self-sufficient with the staple food, a Department of Agriculture (DA) official said on Tuesday.
During a hearing of House committee on appropriations for DA’s proposed budget for 2024, Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio Sebastian said, this is because it is the market that will dictate the tag price.
“That is a market — that will be market based. It depends on the market, [on] how will it pay,” Sebastian responded when asked by Basilan Lone District Representative Mujiv Hataman if government can fulfill its commitment.
The 20-pesos-per-kilo of rice was the campaign pledge of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The price of the staple now has reached up to P56 a kilo.
As a reaction, Marcos said he would go after hoarders and price manipulators.
Sebastian, meanwhile, said government wants to lower the price of rice by helping to cut the cost of production of palay (rice grain).
“We can also reduce the cost of production, Mr. Chair, not [at twenty pesos], but at least, we can maintain a lower price that is affordable,” he explained.
“I think our objective should be affordability for our population,” he said.
Then, the official admitted, “Yung two [pesos per kilo], medyo mahirap, Mr. Chair.”
(That twenty pesos per kilo is a bit hard to achieve, Mr. Chair).
Sebastian also said DA’s long-term goal is for the country to become almost completely self sufficient in rice in five years.
“The objective is to at least aim for 95 to 97 percent sufficiency level by 2028,” he told Hataman who had asked if DA has a development plan.
Then, Sebastian delivered a caveat.
“As I always said, if we want a higher sufficiency level, we have to be ready also, because a hundred percent sufficiency level could also have a negative impact for our farmers,” the official warned.
He cautioned this can lead to a dramatic drop in palay prices.
“So that’s why in the rice program, our objective is maintain yung productivity, in such a way, the income of the farmers will help them continue to improve their productivity to attain a higher sufficiency level,” he claimed.
—With reports from Ivana Romero, trainee
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